


Off Course

by jelasdax



Category: Fast and the Furious Series, The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 17:06:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5299379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jelasdax/pseuds/jelasdax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The trial had been too short.</p><p>Brian had known going in that his chances weren’t great, but that the trial hadn’t even gotten to the six month mark had come as a shock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off Course

The trial had been too short. 

—

Brian had known going in that his chances weren’t great, but that the trial hadn’t even gotten to the six month mark had come as a shock. 

There was a lot of that going around. He half thought he was still in shock himself, but there were too many times where he would open his eyes to see the concrete ceiling of his cell and know exactly where he was and why he was there for it to be a simple case of ‘being in shock’. 

( _You know what you’re doing?_ )

It had seemed so clear in the moment; he’d handed over the keys as the sirens got louder, and he’d watched Dom drive away and felt - 

He’d been relieved, he decided. Relieved to see that look disappear from Dom’s face, to see the barely-masked fear leave his expression. He’d watched Dom’s eyes clear and Brian had felt vindicated. Dom was gonna be alright. 

It wasn’t until the Supra had disappeared from his line of sight that Brian had tuned into the screech of the sirens again. He’d boosted a car and gotten back to his house before he realized he didn’t have a plan. 

He’d just fled multiple crime scenes, stolen a car, let his suspect get away, and now he was sitting in someone’s Volvo outside his own house. 

Christ, he’d killed someone.

What the fuck was he gonna do? What was he doing now?

He hadn’t had an answer by the time he stepped into the house, but he did have the beginnings of a plan. He was gonna run. Get out of LA, go east, use yesterday’s winnings to buy a clean car - he’d make do. 

He would just have to go from there. 

He’d been putting together a bag when the combined might of the LAPD and FBI had broken down his door. Brian had been in cuffs less than three minutes later, flat on his belly, while someone had plastered his newly-bruised face and ribs to the ugly rental carpeting. 

You almost had to laugh. Of all things: a traffic cam had caught him and Dom at the end. 

One of the endless days he’d been in the cell Bilkins had come in and talked at him. He’d looped the footage of Brian giving Dom the keys to the Supra, making Brian watch it over and over again, until he’d shaken his head in disgust at Brian’s lack of reaction and had Brian dragged back to his cell. 

The clinking of the chains on his wrists and ankles sounded like a metronome; a countdown to his verdict. The steady _clink clink clink_ kept marking off the passage of time even once he was back in the solitary confines of his cell. 

10–15 years. More if they decided to make an example of him. 

He’d seen the lawyer paging through all four pages of his rap sheet. 10–15 years, maybe earlier if he got out on probation, the lawyer had said. He’d been trying to put a good face on it but Brian had been around enough criminal defendants to know a lost cause when he saw one. 

He’d wanted to laugh at the absurdity but he couldn’t make a sound around the lump in his throat. He wasn’t holding a lot of hope that he’d get out on good behaviour. Ex-cops didn’t last long in prison. 

The worst part was he couldn’t even bargain his sentence down. He didn’t know where Dom was. He didn’t know where the money was, he didn’t know the buyer, and he didn’t know the game plan. At the end of the day Brian didn’t have anything they wanted, and he was going to rot in whatever cell they threw him into. Bilkins had made sure he knew that early on. 

He took a minute to focus on the steady stream of oxygen flowing into his lungs, and then he got up off the cot and started doing pushups. He was already physically fit but he was going to need more muscle on him before they transferred him out of Men’s Central. And from the way the trial was going and the savage glint in Bilkins’s eyes, that was gonna be soon. He paused at the end of one pushup, lifted a hand to brush at his too-long, sweaty hair, and started down again. 

Tomorrow’s job would be cutting off his fucking hair.

—

He barely heard the rest of the sentencing. The judge was still talking but Brian’s mind was reeling at her hard voice saying _Twin Towers Correctional_ \- and Christ, they must actually want him dead. It wasn’t Lompoc but it was as good as a death sentence for a cop. 

A sharp noise filtered through the chaos and then everything was moving, there was a lot of noise, and two uniformed guards approached him. 

The lawyer was saying something to him even as they weighted Brian down with yet more chains and marched him out of the room, but the ringing in his ears meant Brian couldn’t hear it.

He came back to himself in the hallway and saw an extra four guards surrounding him. It was almost flattering in a way, but even Brian wasn’t stupid enough to try fighting his way out. 

Okay, he was going to prison. 

Lots of people went to prison. 

All he had to do was make it through the first day. 

Just take it one day at a time, don’t kill anyone inside, don’t mouth off to anyone, good behaviour meant getting out earlier than expected, good behaviour meant parole. 

Just make it through the first day. 

It was all he had to do. 

A sound tried to escape his throat and Brian clawed it back ruthlessly, clamped down on his emotions, made his face impassive, and did what the guards told him. 

He was gonna be fine. 

—

They were in the same building when the guards put him into a holding room with three convicts. Brian got the wall to his back and kept his eyes on the floor. 

Hours passed. More guys got pushed into the room. A few came in raging but for the most part they were quiet. One guy had silent tears running down his cheeks and Brian had to look away before the lump in his own throat started creeping up on him again. 

More guards came. A lot more guards. It looked like one was shouting so Brian blinked and focused on him. 

“-hear me, everyone on your feet! We’re moving out. Hands in front of you. Get up!”

Brian slid to his feet and got into line with the rest. The guards shackled them to each other in pairs and got them all moving.

A few guards inspected the bus that was idling in the carpark before ushering them all up and into it. A couple more guards went into the bus with them, their guns on display, but a decent amount stayed behind. Wasn’t that nice: they’d had their own honour guard. 

The man chained to him stumbled back into Brian before he slid into the window seat with a sneer and pulling Brian off balance. Brian sat down and and the guy swallowed once at whatever was showing on his face before turning to the window. 

He closed his eyes. 

They were maybe 15 minutes out when it felt like something hit the back of the bus. 

Brian blinked his eyes open and tried to turn around, but a guard was stomping down the aisle and shouting for everyone to stay the fuck where they were. Brian thought he was stroking his gun a bit too dramatically, but no one had asked him so whatever. 

The engine cut out and the bus shuddered to a halt. 

Brian was aware, very suddenly, that he was on a prison transport that had stopped en route and that this could be a breakout attempt. He’d started scrutinizing the convicts almost as soon as he’d heard the noise, but no one was looking particularly attentive right now except for the guards. None of the people on this bus had been on the Most Wanted list back when Brian was on the force, but then again he’d been in jail for months now. It could be anyone, and he’d have no clue who the major player was until something happened. 

If he played it right this could be a great way to generate some good will with the authorities. Of course it could also be a one way ticket to getting killed. That would kind of suck.

He braced himself and waited for something to happen. After another ten seconds during which nothing continued to happen, Brian huffed out a self-deprecating laugh. 

Not an attempted jailbreak after all. The engine must’ve failed. 

Disappointment washed over him as he slumped back into his seat. This, right here, was what he got for feeling anything at all. He should have kept his cool. He should have known better than to have gotten his hopes up. 

And then something hit the window.

In the second before the window was pulled clean off of the bus Brian saw some kind of claw embedded in the glass. Brian whipped his head around to check for the guards but they were all behind the security gate up at the front: they were trapped and were making a lot of noise about it. 

Something clanged and when he turned back there was a ladder up against the empty window sill. Brian blinked stupidly as a balaclava-clad man appeared on the ladder holding bolt cutters; adrenaline coursed through him as he looked into familiar brown eyes. 

Dom held the bolt cutters up. “Chains.” 

It felt like a dream but Brian lifted his hands up anyway.

Dom shouldered his way into the opening and cut the links that bound Brian to the bus. The guy next to him cried out, “We’re getting out of here?!” and Dom looked at Brian. Even though the balaclava masked most of Dom’s face Brian understood the question, and he elbowed the annoying guy in the face. The prisoner fell back into his seat with a pained groan, and Dom’s eyes crinkled at the corners. 

He hefted the cutters again while Brian angled the last set of chains so that he could cut through them. Once the last link had snapped Dom reached for him and Brian scrambled through the window. 

There was a lot of shouting going on in the bus but Brian didn’t hear anything that made him worry, and anyway Dom hadn’t looked overly concerned. Brian hit the ground and felt the heat of Dom’s hand on his back as he pushed him along the side of the bus, heard Dom’s low voice in his ear: “Want to drive?” 

He couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread over his face for a million bucks. 

They rounded the back of the bus and Dom tossed him the keys to the idling Civic. Brian slid into the driver’s seat and punched the accelerator when he heard the other door click shut. 

Brian glanced at Dom as he pulled the balaclava off. He looked a little tan and a lot satisfied. 

“We’re heading north and getting a boat. The land crossing might be too hot for you today.” He looked at Brian carefully. “Bri?”

Brian grinned at him; he was almost dizzy with elation. “You got me out.” It didn’t feel real. 

Dom didn’t seem to care that Brian hadn’t answered the implied question. He settled into the seat with that smile still on his lips. “Of course,” he said. 

They went north. 

—

Dom had stopped them once they’d left LA behind to trade out the Civic for a nondescript Fiesta. Brian had wrinkled his nose at it and Dom had smirked and told him it was only temporary. He’d handed Brian a change of clothes and Brian had gratefully stripped out of the prison blues to put on the jeans and t-shirt instead. 

Dom had started the car up while Brian was still marvelling at how amazing real clothes felt and how easy it was to breathe again. He’d said, “This next leg will be longer. You can sleep if you want.” Brian had felt like arguing but 5 months of shitty sleep, food, and dread had apparently taken their toll. A few minutes in the passenger’s seat and the next thing Brian knew it was dark out.

Dom was still driving, and Brian took the opportunity to study him. He looked calm. His already olive skin was even darker now, presumably from long days spent in the sun and not in a covered garage, and he was clean-shaven. At some point he’d ditched the dark grey jacket from the bus and was in his customary white tank. One hand was on the wheel while the other lay relaxed against his thigh.

Brian cleared his throat and Dom looked over at him. “We can stop for some food soon if you like.” 

Brian said, in what he felt was a very reasonable tone of voice, “What are you doing, Dom?”

Dom lifted an eyebrow and made a show of looking around at the mostly empty road. “Well, O’Connor,” he drawled. God, Dom was annoying sometimes. Brian kind of wanted to hit him. “I think I might be driving.”

“I can see that. I meant, what are you doing here? Not that I’m not grateful,” he added quickly, “it’s just - I don’t get it."

Dom glanced at him before he looked back at the road ahead. “Why did you let me go?”

Brian stared at him wordlessly.

An eternity later Dom smiled a little and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. In an hour or so we’ll hit Los Osos. We’re gonna meet up with a friend; get a boat. But if you want a last McDonald’s meal speak up now.”

Brian took a breath and then slowly let it out. “I’m good. I had a big breakfast. And I’ve never really been one for fast food.” Dom chuckled and the sound went right down Brian’s spine. He kept his eyes forwards and refrained from clearing his throat. “Now, fast cars on the other hand…”

"Fast cars we’ll have, I promise.” 

—

Dom’s ‘boat’ turned out to be a small sailboat. Brian looked skeptically at Dom and Dom said, “Have faith” with a smile. 

Brian raised an eyebrow and pointedly didn’t ask if Dom knew how to sail. 

“You’re late,” someone said behind them. Brian tensed but Dom only turned to the newcomer with a big smile.

“Blasphemy,” Dom said as they hugged. Brian loosened his shoulders and tried to look unconcerned. By the time the two men had broken apart he was reasonably sure that nothing was showing on his face. “Han, this is Brian.” To Brian he said, “Han’s going to get us out of the States.”

 _And then what_? 

Brian held out his hand; Han’s grip was tight. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

“Don’t worry about it. Dom’s a friend. He’s told me a lot about you.” 

Brian shot a startled look at Dom - a few instances aside, in general Dom didn’t talk a lot about anything that wasn’t cars - but the other man was already turned toward Han. 

“Okay,” Dom said. “Time to get going. Han?”

“We’re all set. Let’s get you in and we’ll cast off. Leave the keys: I’ve got someone coming by to ditch the car.”

Within minutes they were sitting comfortably on the boat while Han was busy with what Brian vaguely assumed was rigging of some sort. 

Dom slanted a wry look towards Brian. “I’ve never been one for boats. But Han knows his way around one."

Brian ducked his head. “My mom took me to the marina once or twice, growing up. We’d watch the big yachts and the smaller boats come in, sometimes bringing in parties or fish, depending on the size. But uh, I tend to like the ocean more for surfing and less for sailing. I’ve never even been on a sailboat before.”

“Then isn’t it good that you’ve both got me, huh?” Han said. ”We’re heading off now. Don’t worry,“ he added with a small smile. ”No fish on this boat."

And they were off. 

—

The plan, Dom had explained, was to head west for a bit and then go south into Mexico, “because anyone looking for us will expect us to be in a car.” 

Brian couldn’t argue with that. “I never would have pegged you for being on a boat willingly, that’s for sure. Can you even swim?” he’d teased, and it had been a shock when Dom swiped a friendly hand at him. And it _was_ friendly; it felt like the sort of thing Dom had done when he’d been playacting as Brian Spilner, and it was worlds apart from the last time he’d been at the Toretto house.

“’Course I can swim. I’d just prefer not to.”

At noon they decided they’d made a good enough distance from the shore to warrant stopping for lunch. The sun was warm on Brian’s face while Han anchored them and Dom rummaged around in a cooler for food. 

Brian watched the ocean and felt the calm seep into him. It felt like only seconds had passed since they’d stopped. He wanted more of that zen feeling; he stood up and toed off his shoes, shucked his shirt and jeans, and dove off the edge of the boat into the water. 

He heard Dom’s voice just before he hit the water, and then all he could think of was how _fucking cold_ the open ocean was even in summer. When he finally surfaced his whole body wanted to shiver warmth back into him and his lungs were desperate for air, but it felt so amazing to do something that he pushed through it and swam a few more feet before rolling onto his back and floating. 

He gave himself another minute of nothing but the water and his heartbeat in his ears, and then he flipped over to face the boat. Pride thundered through him - he’d made it pretty far away before he’d needed to breathe.

Dom had one arm leaned up against the mast. “Cold?” His voice was loud enough to cover the distance between them, but Brian could still hear the same fondness that had been in Dom’s voice since the bus. 

He didn’t want to think about that too much so Brian yelled back, “Fucking freezing!” and saw Dom shake his head at him. "I hope you guys brought towels.” The words came out without a stutter and he was absurdly grateful for it. Yeah, Brian could admit to himself that this might not have been one of his better plans, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud any time soon either. 

Dom chuckled and Brian felt a shiver go through him; the water was very cold. ”When you get your ass out of the water you can have a damn blanket, O’Conner."

Brian shivered again and turned the motion into a stroke, moving towards the boat. “Good thing I’m done then, isn’t it?” he quipped. 

Dom helped him up when he got near enough, and between the two of them Brian was back on the boat with a minimum of splashing and straining. _So jumping off the boat is easy, okay. Getting back up - slightly less graceful than expected._

“Nice boxers,” Han said through a mouthful of chips. He was watching Brian and Dom as he snacked, and Brian was abruptly, viscerally aware of how close together they were standing. 

Brian took half a step away while motioning to his soaked shorts. “Hey screw you man. Blue looks great on me. Though, yeah okay, maybe not prison blue…” There was just no good way to end that sentence. 

“No one pulls off prison colours. Here.” 

Brian took the blanket and with a couple quick swipes of the cloth he was no longer dripping everywhere. He grabbed one of the sandwiches from the cooler and tore into it. He was in the process of demolishing a second sandwich when he noticed Han’s eyes had gone wide and he’d stopped eating. Brian raised one eyebrow in a silent question while still chewing. 

“I’ve never seen someone eat that fast before,” Han explained.

Brian swallowed the last bite. “Growing up I had this friend, and if you didn’t finish your own food fast enough he’d start sneaking bits off your plate.” He grinned down at his knees; Rome’s incessant hunger had been a running joke among the Pearces for years. “With two hungry teenagers, damn right I learned to eat fast."

A comfortable silence fell and Brian luxuriated in the feeling of a full stomach and the heat of the sun on his bare skin. Han eventually wandered over to the other side of the sailboat and Brian gave in to the urge to look at Dom. He was startled to see Dom’s eyes already on him. 

“What’s up, Dom?” Dom had gone from looking alright (no, Brian could think it in the privacy of his own thoughts if nowhere else: Dom had been looking pretty damn happy and content from the moment he’d seen him on the bus) to looking like his dog had just died. 

It was putting Brian on edge. 

Dom’s eyes shifted slightly and now Brian was really worried. He knew that tell. Dom leaned forward and made what was probably meant to be a calming gesture, though it wasn’t going to do much good: Brian wasn’t feeling very calm right now. 

“It’s fine. Nothing’s wrong,” Dom was saying. Yeah, okay, and Brian had never driven stick before. Whatever. If Dom wanted to be cagey then who was Brian to tell him otherwise. 

Dom met his eyes again and then huffed out an exasperated breath and ran a hand over his face. “You never talked about yourself - yeah, I know why,” he placated when Brian opened his mouth, “but still. I didn’t realize you had people. The papers didn’t say anything.” Dom’s contrite expression went resolute. “We’ll make sure your friend knows you’re okay.”

The certainty Dom was projecting made Brian swallow and look away. “It’s - it’s not a big deal.” Brian flashed a smile in Dom’s general direction. “Trust me: there’s no one out there who’s worrying about me right now.” He’d normally leave it at that and change the subject but Brian’s still got the memory of Dom at his house as he told Brian about his dad, about his fears, and how he trusted that Brian wasn’t going to gut him once he’d seen Dom’s insides. 

It’s impossible not to respond in kind. But that didn’t mean Brian had to watch Dom’s face while he did it. He gazed at the horizon.

“Me and Rome… we met when we were kids. We were always getting into trouble. Boosted cars together, dated the same girls, you know, kid stuff. And it was all good, just two teenagers running around, until it wasn’t. We got caught and sent up.” He glanced at Dom. “Six months in juvie. After that I wanted out of that life. Not a lot of legit options for me though so I became a cop.” Brian had to force the rest out; it was the first time he’d talked about this shit in years, and it wasn’t easy dredging up the past. “Rome didn’t take it too well. And then a few months after my training finished he was hit with eight counts of GTA. Three years in Chino. He got out a year or two ago, but uh. He won’t talk to me. Hasn’t, really, in more than five years. I think - he thinks I knew about it and let him go down anyway.”

The sun was really very bright on the water, and Brian was forced to blink a few times to clear his vision. “So. Like I said. Not a big deal.”

He pushed himself upright and managed to get one whole step away when Dom’s hand caught his arm. It was such a light touch that one tug from Brian would dislodge it; he stopped where he was and waited.

Dom’s voice was calm and sure. “I hope you know that ain’t the case anymore.” Dom’s hand squeezed Brian’s forearm once before he let go, and despite his best efforts Brian felt his neck flush with heat.

He nodded, and then because he couldn’t trust himself to speak he went over to help Han with whatever it was he was doing. Dom didn’t follow him, and it was easy for Brian to lose himself in Han’s instructions. 

When all the lines were secure and the anchor was in the boat again, Han clapped Brian on the shoulder. “Thanks for the help,“ he said. “Go put some clothes on. Don’t want you distracting anyone while we’re moving.”

He’d have messed with Rome the same way once upon a time. It was almost instinct for Brian to flutter his lashes at Han and tilt his hips to the right angle. To seal the deal he cocked his head in a way he knew made him appear sultry, leaned in that extra inch, and lowered his voice. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Han’s eyes narrowed lazily. “I didn’t say you’d be distracting me.” He lifted his chin at something behind Brian and Brian blinked and dropped the act. That wasn’t a laugh and it definitely wasn’t a punch. Brian wasn’t sure where to go with this reaction, but Han smirked and saved him the trouble of figuring out a next step. “Thanks for the show. But you should know I don’t swing that way.”

Brian laughed and went to pull his jeans back on. 

Han was alright. 

—

They ended up going south not long after that, though to Brian it didn’t make that much difference. With the open ocean around them and the sun in his eyes half the time they could have been going in circles for all he knew. Navigating on solid ground was one thing: give him a road and at least one fixed position and he’d be fine, but this whole boat thing was weird. 

Dom was feeling the same if the way he sometimes went ever so slightly green meant anything. Because he was a considerate guy and all Brian didn’t say anything about it, though by the fourth day on the boat he’d started to dream about dry land in the same way he dreamed about cars and - well.

Han spent a lot of time snickering at them both, and conversation was thankfully kept to a minimum.

Three days later, having finally docked in a marina north of Ensenada, Brian promised himself he was never getting on another boat ever again. 

“Nothing personal,” he said when Han’s unimpressed expression didn’t change. “I just prefer a little more road and a little less water. Or you know, some casual surfing and less with the unrelenting sailing. Seriously, though: thanks, Han. You didn’t have to do all this.”

Han glanced at Dom before half-smiling at Brian. “I really did. It was good to meet you, Brian. And maybe the next time I catch up with you two I’ll win back my car.”

“‘Ain’t gonna happen, my friend,” Dom said.

Brian grinned. The Plymouth had been a source of contention between Dom and Han for the last few days. “Yeah, Dom has a thing about cars.”

Dom flicked his eyes toward Brian and started to smirk. “What can I say? I’ve got a weakness for fast and pretty.”

“I wouldn’t call the Road Runner ‘pretty,’ Han drawled, and it occurred to Brian that he’d apparently been standing there staring at Dom like an idiot for way too long; the fact that Dom was letting him look was something he didn’t want to examine right now. 

He cleared his throat and shook Han’s hand. “You might want to buy some more snacks before you head back. Doesn’t quitting suck?” he said with a laugh when Han grimaced. 

It had been a year since Brian had quit and sometimes he still craved a cigarette. Lucky him.

“You’re better off. It’s a filthy habit,” Dom said. Brian wanted to say something pithy about being good at picking up bad habits but at the last second he restrained himself. He nodded once more at Han and then retreated a ways down the pier to give them some space. 

Dom walked up a couple minutes later and leaned against the railing to watch the ocean with Brian. “You ready?” 

Interesting question.

In the week since Dom had busted him off that bus they still hadn’t talked about it, and not knowing why was eating Brian up inside. In the back of his mind he thought it might have something to do with Mia and the thought made him sick with guilt. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he already had, but the idea that Dom had broken him out of prison because he thought - 

He just had to know. If Dom had done it because he thought Brian had been in love with Mia then it would be better for everyone if he went his own way now. 

Then again there was always the possibility that that had been the plan all along. Maybe Dom had felt like he needed to repay a debt, and all this had been to get Brian free of the US penal system. Maybe now he was gonna be cut loose. 

There were too many fucking options running through his head right now, and this was the first time since they’d got on the boat that they were alone enough for him to get some answers. 

“I want to know.” He was going to keep his eyes on the water for as long as he could. “What’s the plan here? What happens now?”

_Why did you do all this?_

Dom shifted his weight as though he were uncomfortable. “Twenty minutes, Brian, that’s all I’m asking. Just another twenty minutes.” 

Dom’s determined expression made the decision easy; Brian was already here, what was another few minutes? He picked up the bag of his dirty clothes again. “I hope there isn’t another boat at the end of this,” he said, and if Dom’s smirk was slightly relieved then at least it was there.

Dom stopped at the edge of the parking lot and came to a stop, one eyebrow raised expectantly, and crossed his arms. Brian bit back a smile and surveyed the possibilities until he saw the Chevelle. The candy red was similar enough to the RX–7’s colouring that even without the decals it was unmistakably Dom’s, and the sleek lines of it and the proprietary way Dom watched it cemented Brian’s guess. “Nice car,” he said and started toward it. “I take it you’re embracing American muscle.”

“That’s the idea.” It sounded like Dom’s voice was right in his ear as he kept up with Brian. ”You can have the flashy imports; I’m going back to my roots.”

The Charger, when it had been hidden away in Dom’s garage, had been gorgeous and shining - and decidedly not flashy. Brian didn’t like to remember its fate, only that endless ride at the end and that moment in the garage. “It suits you.” 

Dom motioned toward the car. “I’m on a time limit here, remember? Come on.”

Brian slid inside.

—

Dom made driving look effortless.

The coastal road they were on was doing an admirable job of highlighting the very nice Mexican countryside. But confronted with Dom’s relaxed hand on the steering wheel, the easy confidence on his face, the loose grip he had on the stick… 

Brian wasn’t exactly paying a lot of attention to the scenery outside his window.

He’d seen Dom trying not to throw up on the boat; he should be past this. He’d seen him bleeding and battered and felonious. 

Not that that last one mattered anymore. Brian was a felon now, too. 

And he would be the first to admit that driving down a Mexican road with Dom was a hell of a lot better than prison.

—

Their destination was a house. 

They exited the car and Brian checked the house over. He shouldn’t have been surprised by how much it felt like the place in Echo Park, right down to the colourful cascade of cars in the drive, but he was.

“So this was the big plan. Are you gonna open a garage here, too?”

Dom closed the Chevelle’s door and lifted his chin at the sprawling house. “Haven’t decided yet. This was never supposed to be forever. More vacation, less escape.” Brian waited for more and Dom didn’t disappoint. “What went down at the end there… that was never the plan. I shoulda known better.”

“About what?” 

Dom’s lip curled and Brian experienced a flash of hatred for Dom’s sunglasses. It was hard enough to read him at the best of times, and with the dark shades, the car in between them, and the sun blazing on the back of Brian’s neck this was not the best of times.

“I never saw you coming. I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Dom added after a second. “Me and Mia have been talking these last few months,” he said, shaking his head. “About what happened. How to get you out. Where to go from there. Some other stuff.”

On the off chance that Dom tried to turn this into getting Brian to marry Mia out of some bullshit sense of tradition and honour Brian was going to punch him in the face and then steal his goddamn car.

“I was blind to everything else. And that’s not on you, that’s on me.” He sighed. “I’m saying this wrong. This sounded a lot better in my head.”

“I’m a pretty easy-going guy, Dom. I can take it.” 

He’d surprised a grin out of Dom. At least he didn’t look uncomfortable anymore. 

“You have options. But I’m hoping-“

“Dom! You coming in or what?” Brian spun around and Letty continued, “We’re all hungry over here. You too, Blondie. I promise you can have him all to yourself again after lunch.” She looked down her nose at Brian and raised her eyebrows. “Unless you’re too afraid to come in here,” she challenged and Brian smirked in response. He wasn’t scared of anything inside that house, and even if he was he knew better than to let it show. 

“I could eat.” 

She stared at him for a long while, bared her teeth at him in what was almost a smile, and disappeared through the open doorway. 

Brian scratched his neck and turned to Dom. “So I get you after lunch, huh?” Even as the words came out he wasn’t sure if he was making a joke or not.

Dom rounded the car and started toward the door without looking at Brian. “If you like.”

—

There was a lot of food. Good, hot food that hadn’t come out of a cooler or a cafeteria, and he was on solid ground while he was eating it. There was even beer. 

Fuck, the beer was good. 

The beer was so good that it took a moment for the silence to sink in, and when it did he blinked and focussed on the table again, pulling the bottle away from his mouth. Vince was still eating but the others had stopped, and the awkward tableau was making Brian uneasy. “Everything okay?” 

Mia was flushed and looking furious about it, Leon coughed once but didn’t say anything, Vince darted a glance around the table before going back to his chicken, and Letty rolled her eyes. 

Dom rubbed at his mouth. “Don’t worry about it. Pass the rice?”

—

While everyone else was clearing the table Mia pulled him into a room off the main hallway.

When the door clicked shut behind them he said, ”I’m sorry." 

When he’d let himself think about it, those months in the holding jail while he waited on his sentence, Mia had been the only thing he’d been able to regret. What he’d pushed Mia to believe about him, about what was in his head - that hadn’t been cool. She hadn’t deserved that.

Once they’d stepped inside the house it had been a matter of seconds before everyone was seated at the table and the food was laid out; he’d had time to briefly catch Mia’s gaze before the rest of them had bowed their heads as Leon said grace, and then it was food time. In a look that lasted maybe one or two seconds Mia had made it perfectly clear that they’d talk when she was ready.

Seemed like she was ready now.

“Sorry for what? Flirting with me? Lying to me? Tell me, Brian: what are you sorry for?” Brian flinched. It would have been better if she’d yelled or slapped him or something; the icy serenity she was directing his way was excruciating. 

“Mia…” 

Her mouth twisted unhappily but her eyes were like flint as she stared him down. “Are you sorry you let my brother go?”

He’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

Although if he had a do-over he’d blind the fucking traffic camera that caught them at the train crossing and save himself six months of jail time. 

“Kinda wish I hadn’t gotten caught,” he told her and shoved his hands into his pockets. “But I’m not sorry for Dom. I am sorry for what I did to you, Mia. I should have found another way in.”

Mia closed her eyes and dragged a hand through her hair; her earrings glinted in the light streaming through the window. “You’re lucky that I don’t hold grudges.” She held his gaze steadily. “How much of it was real?”

He thought back. “I really do like tuna.” 

She laughed to herself and shook her head. “I can’t believe you ate all those sandwiches.” 

He rocked back on his heels and smiled. “They were pretty bad.” Even knowing it might destroy the careful levity they’d just achieved he had to say it. “You know, I would have asked you out anyway if it hadn’t been-“

“For Dom,” she interrupted, and Brian frowned but didn’t dispute it. Though it wasn’t what he’d planned to say it wasn’t untrue. She crossed her arms over her stomach, and what should have seemed like a protective gesture instead felt like strength. “Did you love me at all?”

In case there had ever been any doubt this cinched it: Mia was far braver than he was. 

“I did,” he said. “I still do. I’m just not…” he trailed off only this time Mia didn’t save him. She was waiting to hear him out. To get the rest out he had to look away from her. “But I’m not in love with you.” 

“Well,” she said and Brian forced himself to look at her again. “That’s better than I expected.” It was strange how she didn’t look mad. “I’m going back to LA in a few days. Can I pass a message to anyone for you?”

“Uh, no. There isn’t anyone,” he added when a hurt expression crossed her face. “Thank you for the offer, but no one in LA will care.”

She nodded and they stood in awkward silence for a moment until she grinned impishly at him. “You cut your hair,” she said and he lifted a hand to run it through the short strands. “It’s nice. Now you look less like an eager puppy.”

He made a face at her and followed her lead. “Eager puppy, really? That’s what you thought of me?”

“One of those cute puppies at the pound,” she said while laughing, and Brian relaxed. They’d be okay.

—

There wasn’t anyone in the kitchen, though there was noise coming from what turned out to be a backyard. Dom wasn’t out there with the rest, Mia had disappeared somewhere, and Brian wasn’t feeling up to a discussion with anyone else right now; he snagged a beer and went to sit in the sun on the front steps. 

He was halfway through the beer when Dom sat next to him. 

“Mia found me,” Brian said to start them off. Dom nodded but didn’t say anything. 

Okay then. Brian lifted the bottle and offered it to him. “Want some?”

A smile ghosted across Dom’s face as he took the beer. “I could just get my own. We have enough.”

“You could,” Brian said. “But I’m testing a theory.”

“What’s your theory?” Dom asked as he put the bottle to his mouth. 

Brian watched his throat work as he swallowed, waited another second to make sure Dom wasn’t going to choke if he was wrong, plucked the beer from Dom’s hand to set it safely aside, and leaned forward to kiss him. 

Dom’s lips were wet from the beer and Brian licked at them as a hand settled on the base of his neck and clutched at him. Dom’s mouth opened and Brian licked there too. God, Dom’s mouth was as scorching as the sun. Brian was going to burn up before he’d even gotten his hands on the man.

He tried to lean further into Dom but sitting beside each other like this made the angle too difficult. He pulled back in frustration and Dom’s eyes blinked open, dark and hazy with lust, and Brian stopped whatever it was he’d been trying to do in favour of kissing him again. 

It was like punching the accelerator and feeling the car come to life around him, like being on the roof of the Supra and waiting to jump.

And it would be a hell of a lot better if he wasn’t sitting on uncomfortable concrete steps without any guarantee of privacy. 

He pulled away again and the hand that had slid into his hair tightened briefly. Brian squeezed his eyes shut against the shivery sensation and leaned his forehead against Dom’s shoulder. “Don’t you have a bed somewhere? You should show it to me.” 

Dom made a humming sound like he was considering it, but Brian could see the desire in his eyes. “I’m a traditional kind of guy. Maybe I want to date first.”

“Okay,” Brian said and stood up. Dom’s eyes had gone hilariously wide and alarmed, so Brian kept his face blank and bent down to pick up Dom’s hand, holding it loosely near his hips. He rubbed his thumb over Dom’s knuckles and watched the way Dom’s eyes had focussed not on their joined hands, but on the clearly visible line of Brian’s hard dick through his jeans. The jeans Dom had gotten him had already been tighter than he would normally wear and there wasn’t a whole lot of room left in them right now. “We can go on a date.” Dom’s tongue had darted out to lick his lips and Brian took a careful breath. “I can see that your values are important to you, and I’d want you to respect me in the morning.”

“O’Conner?”

“Yeah, Dom.”

“Shut up.” 

Brian was still grinning when Dom surged to his feet and kissed the breath from him.

—

The quick impression Brian had of Dom’s room was that it was bright and clean, but most of his attention was on Dom as he stalked across the room toward Brian. Brian stood his ground and waited for Dom to come to him. He didn’t know if Dom had been with guys before, but it wasn’t a big deal: Brian was easy. He could roll with pretty much anything. 

Dom stopped, leaving half a foot of space between them, and lifted a hand up to touch Brian’s cheek before sliding it back to Brian’s nape again. He tugged lightly and Brian smiled and took a step forward to press himself up against Dom. He stroked a hand up over the strong muscles in Dom’s back and leaned forward to kiss his neck. Dom shuddered and exhaled shakily against his neck, and then hands were on Brian’s hips and he was - jesus fuck - being lifted off the ground. 

Brian bit back a yelp and brought his legs up instinctively to balance himself. Christ, Dom was strong. Brian wasn’t anywhere near Dom’s weight class but there was a decent amount of muscle on him all the same: how the hell had Dom just picked him up like it was nothing? 

“Gotta say this is a new one for me,” Brian said and tried not to laugh. Dom took a step and Brian hitched himself a little higher up on Dom’s body, and clutched even harder at Dom’s shoulders when it felt like he might fall.

“Easy,” Dom muttered, and Brian couldn’t help the bark of laughter as they moved another few steps. 

“If you put your back out I am going to laugh so hard,” Brian promised, and Dom let go of him. 

“That was for downstairs,” Dom said. Brian was still glowering from where he’d been dropped on the bed when Dom stripped his shirt off and then bent to unlace his boots, though by that point Brian was more interested in the skin being bared to him than in holding onto his brief indignation. He tried to wet his dry lips. Dom had straightened up and was pulling at Brian’s shoes; when the last one came off he looked up at Brian and smirked. “You still mad at me?” His eyes travelled down Brian’s body to settle on his crotch, and Brian helpfully stroked one hand down the front of his jeans. Dom’s eyes darkened. 

“I could be less mad,” Brian offered, and sat up to pull off his own shirt. Dom knelt on the bed to help him get it off, and then his fingers trailed down Brian’s chest and stomach. Dom must have been very intent on watching what he was doing because when Brian touched his chest Dom flinched. Brian pulled his hand back like it had been scalded. “Sorry,” he said.

Dom met his eyes for half a second before his gaze skidded away. “It’s been a while. I just need to get used to it again.”

Oh.

“I’m a great guinea pig,” Brian said lightly, and worked at keeping his body relaxed and loose. “We don’t have to do anything. I was just messing around earlier.”

Dom chuckled and ducked his head to dip kisses along Brian’s chest. “I’m good.” He undid Brian’s jeans within seconds and kissed an exposed hipbone. “Up,” he murmured against Brian’s skin, and Brian lifted his hips off the bed and watched as Dom peeled his jeans off.

There was really no disguising the fact that his boxers were obscenely tented and sporting a wet spot. Equally obvious through the thin white cloth was his dick. Brian desperately wanted Dom to touch him, or failing that to touch himself. It felt like years since he’d done this with someone else, but right now he would be very okay with jerking himself off while Dom watched. He fisted his hands into the sheets and fought the temptation, licked his lips again. 

Dom reached up and kissed him gently, and Brian relaxed into it. Dom didn’t flinch when he forgot and put a hand on Dom’s back, and that made Brian a little wild. He ran his fingertips over Dom’s back and heard Dom moan against his mouth. Dom was thrusting his hips against Brian’s and the friction was incredible. He squeezed at Dom’s shoulders and felt Dom gasp and push his dick harder against Brian’s. There were too many layers between them, Dom still had his shorts on, and Brian was about a minute from coming his brains out. He sucked on Dom’s tongue and Dom pulled away to pant harshly against Brian’s neck, then lifted himself off Brian. 

Brian closed his eyes and thought about cold showers and the ocean he’d jumped into and the high school locker room, anything to try and cool himself down. 

Maybe this was a mistake; they should have talked this shit over first. 

The thought was like ice, and it pushed the haze of lust away so that Brian could start thinking again. He opened his mouth to tell Dom this would wait when his boxers were pushed down and there was sudden heat on his dick. His eyes snapped open. Dom mouthed over the shaft again and met his gaze for a moment before closing his eyes and smirking triumphantly around Brian’s dick.

No way was Brian going to last very long if Dom kept that up.

Pulling away from Dom’s mouth was torturous and he was practically shaking when he hauled Dom up for a kiss, but Dom came up easily enough and didn’t seem to mind. He bit at Dom’s lips, licked into his mouth - went a little crazy at the faint taste of himself in Dom and had to force himself to slow down again, breathe, think rationally. 

Dom’s back was okay, his chest was clearly off-limits, and his neck was a maybe - but he’d probably be okay with Brian touching his cock. He squeezed Dom’s shoulders again and revelled in the noise Dom made against his mouth, half groan and half gasp, and skated a hand down sweaty skin to blindly grope at Dom through the heavy fabric of his shorts. 

God, how was he still dressed?

Dom let out a low laugh at the dissatisfied noise Brian made and rolled onto his back, his hands busy at his waistband. 

“What, I don’t get to help?” Brian said before he could stop himself, and winced. He was definitely not feeling thwarted by Dom undressing himself. That would be ridiculous. 

Dom paused and looked at him slyly. He lifted a hand to tug on Brian’s arm and pulled until Brian was straddling Dom’s thighs. 

Brian smirked and worked at Dom’s fly. “You get off on manhandling me, don’t you.” Not that Brian was complaining. 

“Maybe,” Dom said and wriggled underneath him. Brian froze, all of his attention caught on the ripple of muscle along Dom’s bare torso. He wanted to lick him there and trace his tongue down each ridge, but he’d settle for getting Dom’s fucking shorts off. 

“Fuck,” he murmured when he finally pushed Dom’s shorts apart. Dom was goddamn stunning and right now he was spread out on the bed all for Brian. He rubbed a thumb up Dom’s flushed cock and smoothed over the wet head, listened to Dom’s harsh breathing, and started to stroke in earnest. He wanted to watch Dom’s face but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his own hand on Dom’s cock. 

He jerked when he felt Dom touch his knee and slide his hand up Brian’s thigh to his dick. He was impossibly hard, had been for what felt like ages now, but he’d been too drunk on Dom to think about it. 

Dom made a pleased sound and wrapped his hand around Brian’s dick, and Brian moaned and leaned forward to kiss him. Dom shifted underneath him and pulled him even further forward, making Brian brace himself against the bed with both hands, and Brian felt the hot line of Dom’s cock settle against the crack of his ass. He broke away from the kiss and panted against Dom’s mouth. Dom was thrusting lightly against him and still had one hand on Brian’s dick, but he wasn’t making any move to push inside him. 

Dom nuzzled at his cheek. “Okay?”

Brian pushed his dick harder into Dom’s hand and felt the exquisite tease of Dom’s cock sliding along his hole. “I’m buying lube for next time,” he said and pressed shaky lips to Dom’s.

Dom thrust against him again. “You’d want that? Me fucking you?”

Christ, his whole body was shaking. He managed a nod but couldn’t get the breath to speak. 

Dom’s voice went even lower. “Mmm. I want that too. Next time,” he promised, pulling his hand away from Brian’s dick to grip his ass, and slid his cock between Brian’s cheeks again. The head caught on his hole and the stimulation was too much: he rubbed his dick against Dom’s stomach and came even as Dom cursed and tensed against him, spilling wet heat all over Brian’s lower back and ass. 

—

Dom had dragged a blanket over them at some point; Brian used part of it to wipe himself and Dom’s stomach off and then collapsed onto Dom again. 

“So, my theory,” Brian said. Dom continued to rub slow circles on Brian’s back and made an ‘I’m listening’ sound. “I think you want me to stick around.”

“You could be right,” Dom conceded. “Guess you’ll never know for sure unless you do.”

Brian grinned. “You’re such a sweet talker.”

“I’d be sweeter if I thought it would convince you to stay.”

The smile slipped off Brian’s face at Dom’s serious tone and he twisted out of Dom’s arms so he could see his expression. It was as if Dom actually thought Brian was going anywhere. 

“We’ve been dancing around this, and we keep getting interrupted mid-conversation. I’m done with that. Cards on the table, man. No more hiding,” he said to himself. Mia had been brave earlier; Brian could be too. “You asked me why I did it. Why I gave you the keys and let you go. I have a bunch of reasons; most of them are even true. But there’s only one answer.”

Dom pushed himself upright and opened his mouth but Brian quickly spoke before he could say anything. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” he challenged. He felt far more reckless right now than he ever had in a car. 

Dom lowered his chin and kept his eyes on Brian’s. “I’ll take that bet.”

“I’m in love with you.” Fuck, he’d actually said it. “I tried so hard not to be. But I just - I can’t not.” He swallowed hard and felt ill when Dom looked away. “That sweet enough for you?”

Waiting for Dom to say something was worse than waiting to hear the judge’s sentence. At least then he’d known what to expect. At least he’d been able to prepare himself. 

Fuck it. 

Even if this went south at least he’d admitted it to himself. 

He watched Dom lift a hand and rub at his mouth. “You’d have saved us a lot of hassle if you had come with me.”

It felt like he was suffocating. “You didn’t ask,” he said, and waited for Dom to say something. 

Dom was silent; he still hadn’t looked at Brian.

Okay. 

At least now he knew.

It was gonna be fine. 

He made sure his face was appropriately neutral and lay down again. “What do you do for fun around here?”

“What?”

Brian tried on a smile. “How else am I supposed to find out about this city? Come on, tell me about it. You must have picked it for a reason.” Lying on the bed didn’t feel so great anymore; he’d started looking for his jeans when Dom caught his arm. 

Brian glanced at him. He looked… confused, Brian decided. He brushed against Dom’s hand with the tips of his fingers. “Don’t worry about it. Forget I said anything.” 

Dom didn’t let go, and now he was more frustrated than confused. “You didn’t let me finish,” he said. 

Brian bit back an angry retort and wrenched his arm out of Dom’s grasp. “Yeah, well, it just occurred to me that I might not want to hear it, so why don’t we just have a shower or a drink or something instead?”

He waited a moment and then counted to five for good measure. It was so strange to see Dom seemingly at a loss. Even when he didn’t say much he normally made his intentions clear. 

Dom gestured at the bed. “Let me see if I’ve got this right,” he said quietly. “You love me -“ Brian flinched “- but you don’t want to hear what I have to say? What about all that stuff from before, that show me yours bit. I thought we had an agreement.”

Brian went to shove his hands into his pockets out of frustration and was stymied by the fact that he wasn’t wearing pants. He blinked down at himself and huffed a laugh at the ridiculous situation they were in. 

Dom didn’t seem to find it very funny. He levelled an unimpressed look at Brian and raised an eyebrow, and Brian motioned between them helplessly. “I feel like we should put some clothes on if we’re going to argue.”

Dom tilted his head and started to smile. “We don’t have to argue.” He stepped closer to Brian and rested a hand on his side. “A few minutes back we were getting somewhere.”

“You mean getting some,” Brian said. “And if you want another round you’re gonna have to wait; I’m not young enough to go again so soon.”

Dom shuddered theatrically and eyed Brian. “I don’t know that I want to think about you being any younger. They’d have sent me to prison for sure.” 

Brian snickered. “I’m only two years younger than you, Dom. It’s not exactly jailbait.” 

“What do you know, the buster can count.” The faint smile on Dom’s lips took away the sting of the word. “Okay. I’m gonna ask again, just so I know I got this straight in my head: you’re in love with me, but you don’t want to be?”

He hadn’t said that. Had he?

“I’m in love with you,” Brian said, and it was easier the second time. “That part’s right.”

Dom had a really nice smile, but especially so when it was Brian he was directing it at. 

“I love you, too. I wouldn’t get on a boat for just anyone.” Dom wrapped his arms around Brian and tilted his head up to Brian's for a sweet, chaste kiss. “Come back to bed,” he murmured against Brian’s mouth. “Stay a while.”

Brian grinned. He'd happily stay the rest of his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is welcome!


End file.
